Black Paper Moon and Lucky Stars
by BittersweetSonata
Summary: Lucy always was a lonely little girl, so she imagined her own friends. But what happens when, years later, one of those 'imaginary' friends shows up in her bedroom?
1. Lucy Heartfilia

Chapter One

Lucy Heartfilia

_"Never be sad for what is over, just be glad that it was once yours." _

_ - Anonymous _

* * *

_{I'll always remember, that smile I'll never forget} _

* * *

Growing up, Lucy Heartfilia had almost no friends. She was a quiet girl, one that kept to herself. The type of girl that would rather read in a corner than play with other children her age. There was also the fact that she was the only child of Jude and Layla Heartfilia, and her father was the head and CEO of Heartfilia Concerns. Being the heir to the family business, or at least being someone who could be married off into another wealthy family, she was to have the best education, and so she was homeschooled by the best tutors for hire.

Because of all this, Lucy was a terribly lonely little girl. Her mother had passed away when she was only five, and it had been extremely hard on her. Her father hadn't wanted much to do with her after that, and hardly ever made actual contact with her.

For a little girl like her, who had lost the only two people relatively close to her, it was almost too much to handle.

So Lucy made up her own friends.

She started out simple, just imagining a few, but then, those few seemed to form their own personalities. They became _people_, to her. Actual live beings. They were odd, yes, but she didn't mind. They liked to play with her, and they made her happy.

One was a mermaid sort of creature. She had long cerulean hair, and hard blue eyes. Lucy had named her Aquarius, and boy, did she ever have a temper. She was similar to a bomb: one little thing to set her off, and BAM! She exploded. But she was still kind to Lucy, even though the girl sometimes showed up with dirt clothes and mussed hair and her maids couldn't understand how one little girl could get _so dirty. _

Another was a redhead. He reminded the little blonde of a lion, and so she named him Loke, after the constellation Leo the Lion. Admittedly, he was an extreme flirt, and wore a fancy suit and blue sunglasses. However, he was a gentleman, and took care of his creator.

There was Virgo, an odd, short pink-haired, blue-eyed girl who wore a maid's dress and shackles on her hands and feet. She insisted on calling Lucy 'princess' - a mannerism that Loke also shared – no matter how many times the small blonde told her not to. Then, there was the fact that she was always asking for some sort of 'punishment', which was an ever confusing thing for Lucy.

Taurus - a weird bull-like man, Sagittarius - a man in a horse suit who always carried a bow, Libra - a gypsy type girl who danced and toted a double scale, Lyra – a pretty girl with a beautiful voice who played the harp, Cancer – a strange crab-like man who was always snipping the scissors he carried around, Gemini – two short alien looking creatures who could turn into anyone they wanted, and Aries – a shy pink-hired girl who always apologized even when she'd done nothing wrong were a few more.

But Lucy's favorite - her best friend – was a rosy-headed boy with a wide-fanged grin and tan skin named Natsu. He wore a white scarf that always reminded her of dragon scales, and he had deep onyx eyes that shined a deep emerald when he got extremely angry or sometimes happy.

Speaking of, he had a cat – one that was blue, could fly, and talk – that they named Happy.

The three would go on all sorts of adventures, sometimes getting into trouble along the way. Whenever Lucy was feeling down or sad, Natsu and Happy would take her on an adventure, and she would forget all about it. His smile, his cheeky grin, his laughter, they were all infectious, and she would smile and laugh along with him.

Lucy Heartfilia was happy for the first time in a long time.

The maids, cook, butler, her tutors, and the other household staff didn't understand it at all. The little heiress would talk and smile and laugh to the air, saying things that made no sense, and romping around the grounds until dark. While they didn't understand, they were glad to see the girl happy.

Years passed by, and when she was sixteen, Lucy decided to leave home. It wasn't a hard decision, although the blonde hated to leave the old Ms. Spetto and the rest of the staff that had raised her after her mother had passed away.

She had wanted friends that could see her for the real her, Lucy, and not the heiress to the Heartfilia fortune. So, the blonde left. She settled in the somewhat small town of Magnolia. It was a beautiful place, and had a nice school – although after she'd started attending, she realized it wasn't anything like she was used to. Lucy made friends, not a whole ton, just a few close ones. She was friendly to everyone, and usually everyone was friendly back to her, but only a few got close enough to her.

Natsu and Happy had mysteriously disappeared around the time she was twelve, although she could still see and talk to her other 'imaginary' friends. It was really hard for the young blonde, because she'd started to develop a crush on the always cheerful and grinning pink-headed boy, and then one day, he'd just disappeared. It didn't matter how many times she called for him, how late she stayed up waiting for him, how many extensive searches she conducted around the mansion and grounds, the blue cat and her best friend were nowhere to be found.

Of course she had cried her heart out when she realized he was actually gone. The whole house staff had been in an uproar when she had just burst into tears after coming in from outside all dirty and scraped up with leaves and twigs sticking out of her hair.

Later that night, after the old Ms. Spetto had tucked the blonde into bed, she gave the girl a soft smile, and was about to turn when Lucy's quiet voice stopped her.

"_How do I say goodbye to someone I never really had? Why am I crying so much for someone who was never really mine? Why do I miss someone who I was never really with? I kept waiting for him to come, I waited and waited, but he never showed up. Why?" _

The older woman had been a bit shocked at her words. They'd all known Lucy had 'imagined' her own friends, but no one had ever expected she'd become this attached to one. She had walked back over to the four-poster bed and sat down.

"_Sometimes, no matter how much faith we have, we lose people. But we never forget them, and sometimes it's those memories that give us the strength to go on. You can't ever let go of all the feelings, dear, but you need to let go of him." _

And from that day on, Lucy Heartfilia had tried to forget Natsu Dragneel – the happy-go-lucky, pink-haired, hothead who could always make her laugh and smile. The boy she'd begun to love, the boy who had disappeared without a trace. She knew that what the older housekeeper had said to her that night was true, the very moment she'd said it. Oh, she tried so hard to let go of him.

But she couldn't.

When she thought she'd almost done it, she would close her eyes and see his warm smile, hear his laugh. And she wouldn't be able to let go of him.

When she was fifteen, she just stopped trying. That had been two years ago, and now, the blonde was seventeen, living in a small but cozy apartment by herself, and attending Fairy Tail Academy.

Lucy tapped her pencil against her chin as she stared off into space, lost in her thoughts. In fact, she was so deep into them, that she didn't notice the last bell of the day ring, or two of her friends walk over to her desk.

"-an."

"-chan."

"Lu-chan!"

The raised voice of her petite blunette friend broke her out of her trance, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, sorry Levy, Juvia." she blinked a few times, looking around the practically deserted classroom. "What? School's over already?"

Juvia giggled. "Lucy was out of it for a while."

Levy grinned and held up a finger as the blonde began stuffing her books into her bag. "Lu-chan, Juvia, I have the perfect place for us to go today!"

Lucy raised a brow as she stood and moved toward the door. "We're not going to the café today?"

The short blunette shook her head. "Nope!"

"Then where are we going?" Juvia asked as they made their way through the crowd of students trying to get out the door all at once.

A sly smile pulled at the edges of Levy's lips. "It's a surprise." she waved a hand once they were out the double doors. "Just follow me!"

The blonde and taller blunette exchanged a puzzled look before doing as their now skipping friend had said.

Lucy stared up at the sign over the peculiar-looking building, her eyebrows almost to her hairline. She adjusted the strap of her pink messenger bag, and looked over past a confused looking Juvia and a grinning Levy.

"'Mavis' Magic Shop?'" the blonde read in a questioning tone.

Levy was practically bouncing on her heels. "Yep! I thought it would be fun!"

Their other blunette friend shrugged. "Juvia thinks it be a little fun."

"Alright, let's go in then." Lucy sighed, pulling on the handle of the door.

A small bell tinkled as they walked in, and all three girls were immediately in awe. It was sort of cramped, old and almost antique looking books lined the shelves, some even in stacks on the wooden floor and large oak desk. Faded eggshell blue wallpaper with intricate gold parsley designs covered the walls, more shelves filled with pretty and detailed bottles hung from them as well.

An old gold chandelier hung from the ceiling, the dipped candles casting an ethereal and slightly eerie glow around the large room. What looked to be an antique spiral staircase curved up around it, chandelier hanging down in the space between where the staircase wound its way up into the second floor. The black metal guard railing of the staircase looped and turned in complicated but still pretty patterns.

Lucy was breathless as she took a small step forward, and brushed her fingertips along the edge of one of the thick books. She quickly drew her hand back though when the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caught their attention.

To the girls' surprise, another one of their friends, Cana Alberona appeared. The brunette was dressed differently than they saw her most times, a long periwinkle Victorian style skirt replacing her usual capris, shorts, or skirts. And white long-sleeved and high-necked blouse with a small gray cameo at the neckline adorned her upper body instead of the usual skin-showing blouses she usually wore.

"Welcome to Mavis' Magic Shop, how can I-," the brunette cut herself off when she noticed who the customers were. A small look of horror crossed her face. "L-Lucy? L-Levy? Ju-Juvia?!"

Lucy smiled and gave the shocked girl a small wave. "Hey Cana! I didn't know you worked here!"

"Yeah!" Levy chimed in. "It's so _cool_! It reminds me of what some of the older buildings in New Orleans must look like!"

"Juvia thinks it's quite charming as well." the other blunette piped.

Cana fiddled with the lace cuff on her right sleeve. "Erm, yeah. Listen, don't you dare tell anyone I work here." she glanced up at them. "I'd never live it down."

Lucy smiled and chuckled a bit. "Come on Cana, it can't be _that _bad." her gaze moved around the room a little before landing on the brunette once more. "I'd _love _to work in a place like this."

Cana sighed and leaned against the desk. "Yeah well, it's actually a lot of fun. I guess." she mumbled quietly. "It's just that, if anyone other than you three found out I worked here, I wouldn't be able to keep up my image."

Levy let out an amused snort. "What image would that be, Cana? The drinking, bad girl image?" she gave the brunette a small smile. "You'd rather be known as that girl instead of as the girl who works in the magic shop and dresses in Victorian style?"

"It's the job uniform!" the brunette protested weakly.

Juvia smiled. "Cana shouldn't worry, your secret is safe with us."

Said teenager sighed in relief. "I mean, I needed a job to get away from my clingy old man, and it's not like I couldn't use some extra money. I stumbled on this place a few months back, and the owner isn't really a 'people' sort of person. She'd rather be holed up in her own home, and not have to deal with people. We get along alright, I guess, but it's not like that with others." she ran a hand through her hair. "I like it here. It's quiet, and Porlyusica doesn't mind if I read some of these books as long as I keep this place in order." she grinned and held up a deck of Tarot cards. "I was working on these when you came in. There's like a reading room upstairs, kind of like a library, with chairs and everything."

Lucy carefully navigated around the stacks of books over to the teen. "Tarot cards?" she questioned, inspecting the deck in Cana's hand. "I didn't know you were into fortune telling."

Cana grinned. "'Course. It's fun, and it gives me something to do. We don't get a whole lot of customers – you three are the first this week I think – so I have a lot of time to practice."

Levy smiled. "That's an interesting hobby."

The brunette smirked. "Hey, come with me, I'll show you the second floor."

Her three friends all looked at each other and shrugged, following the girl up the spiral staircase. When they reached the top, the girls found that Cana was right. The room sort of resembled the one beneath it, only with faded crimson wallpaper decorated with intricate salmon-colored flowers. Four plush but worn red velvet wing-backed chairs were situated around an old wooden coffee table, where an antique teapot sat along with four matching cups on a tray.

"Hey," Lucy's brows furrowed, "I've heard that name before…"

Cana turned to her in confusion. "What name?"

The blonde tapped her chin with her pointer finger. "Mavis…um…Mavis Vermillion."

Levy bobbed her head. "Yeah, me too."

"Mavis Vermillion also founded Fairy Tail," Juvia put in, "although that was over two hundred years ago." the blunette smiled. "She must have also opened this magic shop."

Cana rolled her eyes. "More like curiosity shop. Like I said earlier, hardly anyone ever comes here anymore. Kind of the only bummer about this job. I know all this stuff, organize all the books, potions, charms, and whatnot by alphabetical order and types, dress up like this, and maybe once in a blue moon someone shows up."

Lucy chuckled. "Wow Cana. Most people would love to have that kind of job where you weren't required to deal with people all that much, hardly do anything, and still make money."

"Do you mind if we look around Cana?" Levy questioned, eyes trailing back over to the staircase.

The brunette shrugged. "Sure, you can even buy something if you want." she chuckled. "I mean, that'd be nice to know I actually made a sale and am doing my job."

Her three friends grinned. "We'll see what we can find." Lucy promised, turning to follow the two blunettes down the stairs.

Cana smiled a little and shook her head. A few cards slipped out from the deck she was carrying in her hand and she leaned over to pick them up, nonchalantly flipping them over to look at them as she did so. Her expression became troubled as she noticed that one represented a great change, and another faith, and the last, great pain or death.

The brunette lifted her head to see the last little bit of Lucy's blonde hair as she rounded the stairs on her way down, and her brown eyes drifted back down to the cards in her hand.

After an hour and a half of browsing, talking, and laughing, Levy had picked out a few books, Juvia had a small 'potion' that she wanted for the pretty bottle it was in, and Lucy had chosen a charm bracelet made out of old skeleton keys and a pretty gemstones.

Cana descended the stairs and rang up their purchases on the antique cash register. All four of the girls were amazed the thing still worked, and the brunette joked that maybe Porlyusica had put a 'charm' on it or something, causing all the girls to laugh.

They were just getting ready to leave, when Juvia tripped over a slightly loose floorboard and bumped into Lucy. The blonde went crashing forward into a stack of books, and accidentally knocked something off of the counter.

A small emerald vial crashed to the floor, shattering. Cana and the two blunettes rushed forward to help Lucy off the floor, and the blonde noticed the broken bottle.

"Oh!" she cried, kneeling down and picking up one of the small pieces of shattered glass. "I'm so sorry! I'll pay for it, honestly, I didn't mean to break it."

Cana waved a hand. "Of course it was an accident. Like you of all people would come into a shop like this to cause vandalism." she chuckled at the thought. "Don't worry about it. I think Porlyusica found it the other day among some of the other bottles, and she was going to take it with her last night." Cana shrugged. "She forgot it, and by the time I realized it was still there, she was gone. The woman doesn't have a phone, once again because of her extreme dislike of people, and she took a cab home. It'll be fine."

Lucy sighed and nodded sullenly. "It's a shame though, it was such a pretty bottle."

After bidding Cana goodbye, and a few more of Lucy's apologies to which the brunette just waved a hand dismissively, the three girls headed home.

The sun was setting, and the streetlights were coming on when they parted to go their separate ways. Lucy walked the familiar street to her cozy apartment on Strawberry Street, passing by the two fishermen that always seemed to be on the river. They called out a hello, and she waved and smiled in reply, wishing them a goodnight.

The blonde unlocked the door to her home and stepped inside. She flicked on the light, before removing her shoes and making her way to the kitchen. After a bowl of soup and a salad, she took a relaxing bath, and changed into her pajamas.

Lucy sleepily trudged from her bathroom into her bedroom, eyes not wanting to stay open. The blonde sighed in content as she sank underneath her warm pink comforter, finally allowing her to rest. She yawned once before turning over on her left side, letting her eyes slide shut and sleep's warm embrace surround her.

"Lucy?"

"Luuuucy."

"…._Lucy._"

The blonde ignored the now irritated male voice, thinking it was just in her imagination. No one could actually be in her bedroom, calling her name. Pfft, as if.

"Hey, Lucy!"

"_Luce_."

Suddenly, Lucy's eyes shot open, and her chocolate orbs were wide. She slowly turned over in her bed, now wide awake.

"Lucy?"

.

.

.

.

.

"_AAAAAAHHHH_!"

* * *

**I've had this idea in my head for a while now, and today I typed it out. **

** I was listening to 'House of the Rising Sun' by The Animals (great song by the way, you should totally listen to it), and that's how the magic shop came into being. I mean, I was originally going to think one up anyway, but this made it easier. I love New Orleans, even though I've never been there. **

** Seriously, does _no one _appreciate classic rock these days? Bon Jovi? Creedence Clearwater Revival? The Animals? Kansas? Hey, even Metallica and Van Halen? Even though I don't listen to those two. **

** Instead we've got Miley Cyrus and a slew of other _lovely _musical artists. **

** Anyway, sorry about that.  
**

** Me: Doesn't know jack about Tarot cards and fortune telling and doesn't believe in it, but decides to put it in this chapter anyway. **

** Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors/mistakes. My bad, my fault. **

** Peace, my fellow Fanfictioners. **

** Ja ne!**

** - Sonata-chan **


	2. Forget Me Not (Natsu Dragneel)

Chapter Two

Forget Me Not

(Natsu Dragneel)

* * *

"_Sometimes you think you've gotten over a person,_

_but when you see him smile you suddenly realize you're just pretending_

_you're over him to ease the pain of knowing that he will never be yours." _

_ - Unknown _

* * *

_{Pack, and get dressed before your father hears us, before all hell breaks loose} _

* * *

The blonde couldn't breathe. It felt like something heavy - so very heavy - was crushing down on her chest and she _just couldn't breathe. _It _hurt. _And the worst part was that she didn't know why. Her eyes were wide, she knew, and she could only imagine the expression on her face.

And she was acutely aware that she had just probably woken the whole neighborhood with her bloodcurdling scream.

But the seventeen-year-old had more pressing problems to deal with or than angry and/or worried neighbors knocking on her door at such a late hour.

Lucy's fists clenching her pink comforter were turning white, as was her face. It was like she'd seen a ghost, which to her, she had. Or rather, she was looking right at one.

"Y-you…," her voice trembled and there were tears gathering in her eyes.

The ghost gave her a crooked smile, a wide grin, the one that had always made her feel happy. "Hey Luce, long time no see." it greeted.

"H-how did you get here?" she questioned, the pain in her chest becoming more and more unbearable.

It was scary. She was scared.

It shrugged, it's carefree smile never leaving it's face. "I dunno. Suddenly I was just here." it paused for a second and looked around. "Wherever 'here' is."

Lucy swallowed the thick lump in her throat, or at least tried to. "You're not _real_." she put extra emphasis on the last word, and she noticed the figure visibly flinch. "It's not _real. _This has to be a dream." she was just reminding herself – that couldn't possibly be _him _standing in the middle of her room, because he was _gone _– but her words of reassurance seemed to hurt the ghost in her room.

"I am too real!" it protested, and she inhaled sharply when it moved toward her. Suddenly, there was a warm hand on her cold right cheek.

And everything seemed to stop.

Their eyes met. Light, milky chocolate made contact with deep, dark onyx, and time just seemed to slow.

His warm, _warm _but rough hand was still lingering on her cold cheek (although it wasn't so cold anymore), and his touch was gentle and soft. Ghosts couldn't be warm, could they? So that meant that the apparition in front of her was for _real. _

She'd had dreams like this before, where her childhood crush would be there and they would go on adventures like old times. And he would promise that he would _always, always _be there for her. Then, he would lean down and she would slowly let her eyelids flutter closed before lifting her head ever so slightly, waiting. He would be so close that she could feel his wisps of hot breath across her face. Then, right before their lips met, when he was just a mere half a centimeter away, the dream would end. Just. Like. That.

She would always wake up disappointed because he wouldn't be in bed beside her, or anywhere in her house at all. It would be empty, like always. Just her. And she would always feel so alone and so sad.

But this was no dream.

Was it?

Lucy slowly pulled her left arm backward, unnoticed by the figure standing before her. And then, without ever breaking eye contact, she thrust her fist forward, landing a hard punch on the figure's jaw.

There was a cry of alarm and pain, and it tumbled backwards, onto the hardwood floor with a loud and reverberating 'THUD.' The blonde sat there, still under her covers, wide-eyed and unmoving. She had just landed a spectacular and surprisingly solid punch on an 'apparition's' jaw. Only, this wasn't a dream, and the figure writhing on her floor in agony was no ghost or apparition.

Lucy gasped and threw her covers off, almost falling out of bed in her efforts to get to the body on the floor. She _did _tumble onto the hardwood, taking the comforter, blanket, and sheet with her, as well as her hard-backed copy of _The Fault in Our Stars_, that had been sitting on her bedside table. The blonde groaned before dragging her burrito-wrapped body over to the one lying a few feet away from her.

"_Lushiiii_…," the body whined, "when did you get so _strong_?"

Said girl blushed and slapped the figure's arm repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize- I mean, I thought you were-," her expression turned furious and she began to slap with more intensity. "Where the _hell _have you _been _all these years?!" she screeched.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop it! That hurts!"

"Do you even realize how _lonely _I was?! You were my best friend! Surely you knew that! You had to know that!" the blonde ranted, her previously unshed tears streaming down her face. She purposely left out the part about her being in love with him.

"Lucy. _Lucy. Luce._" a tanned hand shot out and caught her small pale one, putting a stop to the continuous (and slightly pathetic) slapping fit. "I'm sorry."

"You promised." Lucy cried, furiously trying to wipe away her tears but finally giving up. "You said we were going to go on an adventure. That you were going to take me away from that horrible mansion and all those stuffy dresses." she attempted to throw a punch at the well-toned chest in front of her, but failed. "_You promised_."

She was met with silence. The pink-headed teen's posture slumped a bit, and Lucy hiccuped.

"_We were gonna run away_." she whispered, holding onto the edge of the white scarf around his neck.

She cast her eyes downward, to the braided rug they were seated on, and it was silent again. Suddenly, she was pulled into warm arms and an even warmer chest. "I missed you Lucy."

The deep voice rumbled through his chest, which her ear was pressed up against, and she felt a small blush forming on her face again. She felt herself being pushed away – but not _too far _– and then she was face-to-face with him again.

Natsu Dragneel flashed her one of his signature smiles, and all her previous feelings toward him – the ones that she'd tried so hard to keep buried – resurfaced. "You still wanna go on that adventure?"

She scoffed and crossed her arms, even though his hands were still gripping them on the outside. "You idiot, I have school."

It was his turn to scoff. "So?"

The blonde gaped at him. "_So_? School is important! I can't just leave!"

He rolled his deep and dark onyx eyes. "You haven't changed at _all, _Luce."

"Well neither have _you_!"

He blinked a few times, glancing around and for once really taking in his surroundings. "So where are we? This isn't that damn mansion."

Lucy sighed, but a small smile formed on her face. "No, this is my home."

"Uh huh. Sure."

"It is!" she insisted, because it was the truth. "I live here all by….myself…," she trailed off.

He grinned at her. "Not anymore you don't!"

"What." she deadpanned.

She didn't like that look in his eyes.

"Nope, I can live with you."

This was all moving _way too fast for her speed. _Like, do you think you can just disappear for five years then suddenly reappear, and decide to live with the person you left behind, brokenhearted? Uh, no. It appeared his manners hadn't changed at all either.

"What."

He raised a brow. "Uh, it's not like I have anywhere else to go."

"What." she shook her head, trying to regain any other tone beside deadpan. "Then where were you for so long?" she questioned, starting to feel agitated.

Natsu shrugged, and it was her turn to roll her eyes. "I'm here now though, so isn't that all that matters?"

Lucy felt herself buckle, unwillingly of course. "Fine, _fine. _You can stay here." she was suddenly in his face, holding up her right pointer finger. "On _one condition. _You can't ever just _disappear _like that again, do you hear?"

Slowly, a grin spread over his face. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Lucy pulled back, her lips forming a tight line. She couldn't believe they'd just fallen back into their old routine after five minutes, especially when he'd been _gone _for _years. _Secretly, she didn't mind, but she worried a little, because when she was younger, people always said Natsu didn't exist, that he wasn't there and he was just a figment of her imagination.

But now, here he was. Supposedly alive and in the flesh, making his long-awaited reappearance after years. Of course she would be a little worried. Because what if he was still invisible to other people, and she was still the only one who could see him? She didn't like that, and she knew he wouldn't either.

"Hey Luce, you got any food? I'm _starving._"

She sighed slightly and a smile formed on her face, and all her worries suddenly vanished.

* * *

**end notes: It is crud, is what this chapter is. I am not happy with it (well, okay, maybe a _little_). **

_**The Fault in Our Stars**_** is a wonderful, beautiful, roller-coaster of emotions written by John Green and you should absolutely read it before you die. It is one of my favorite books. **

**The title of this story will be revealed next chapter...maybe not. But soon, it will be revealed soon. **

**I want to watch The Princess Bride now, but I can't because we don't own it. It's on my Christmas list though. **

**You know what's cool? Reviews. **

**Ja ne, Sonata. **


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